Team members will inevitably come into conflict with one another as a project develops. While every manager or leader would hope that everything would go over smoothly, there will be points of contention in every endeavor. Fortunately, steps can be taken to reduce conflict. As a manager or leader of a team, these eight steps are particularly helpful when it comes to group conflict management.
1. Have a plan.
- Create an agenda for meetings. Having a planned set of topics will help to keep the team from getting off-topic. In addition, placing less-controversial topics at the beginning of the meeting can help get the group off on the right foot and help build synergy before getting to the harder topics. Putting the topics of the day on a pre-disseminated agenda will allow the team to come to the meeting with their thoughts in order, helping to prevent a conversation descending into personal attacks as members will have a well-informed opinion on the topics (Dimension 30).
2. Know your philosophy and support it.
- By stating the team's philosophy, or desired goal, the leader can ensure that the discussion stays on course and that the group is working toward the same end. If each team member believes there is a different goal or is trying to take the project somewhere the leader doesn't want it to go, nothing will be accomplished. A strong leader will keep the team focused on the goal (Dimension 31).
3. Groom the environment for productivity.
- Set up the meeting room in a way that promotes teamwork and compromise. If the team is divided into sides on a particular issue, consider forcing them to mix by creating a seating chart that prevents those on the same side from sitting next to each other. Dividing united fronts can lead to compromise. Use round tables rather than rectangular ones to reduce the chance of the person at the head of the table being seen as an authority. This promotes equality (Dimension 32).
4. Behave as a leader should.
- An effective leader will be open and cooperative without allowing the team to walk all over him. Keep a firm hand and direct the team toward their goals, but allow them to disagree and come to compromises on their own. Being too authoritarian limits creativity and discourages team members from innovating (Bushardt 24).
5. Limit personalized statements.
- Watch the language of the meeting. Disallow statements that can lead to personal attacks like "your idea" and "you don't understand." These statements breed division. Saying things like "your department" can separate the team into groups before the meeting even starts. These personalized statements may be taken as personal attacks rather than constructive criticism because of their personal specificity (Dimension 32).
6. Steer the team away from harmful conflict and towards constructive conflict.
-The behavioral dynamics of the meeting must be monitored closely. Encourage the conflict of ideas. Help the team come to compromises as they work through their differences while steering the team away from unproductive conflicts like personal attacks and petty arguments (Longitudinal 13).
7. Support the ideal of the team.
- Breed teamwork, making the group feel less like a gathering of individuals and more like a unit. As the team begins to feel more like an "us" and less like an atomized gathering, they will be more likely to work out their conflicts without the need for intervention. This can be done by imposing team-wide reward goals and limiting individual punishments and rewards (Dimension 32).
8. Be proactive.
- Above all, a manager must not be passive. Sitting on the sidelines lessens the control the leader has on the team and can lead to harmful conflict as emotions are not kept in check. A proactive leader can cut off conflict before it starts by paying attention and implementing the above strategies (Dimension 33).
Bibliography:
1. "Conflict: An Important Dimension in Successful Management Teams."Conflict: An Important Dimension in Successful Management Teams. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
2. Bushardt, S. C., D. W. Glascoff, and D. Harold Doty. "Organizational Culture, Formal Reward Structure, and Effective Strategy Implementation: A Conceptual Model." Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict 15.2 (2011): 57-70. SCOPUS. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
3. "A Longitudinal Study of Team Conflict, Conflict Management, Cohesion, and Team Effectiveness." A Longitudinal Study of Team Conflict, Conflict Management, Cohesion, and Team Effectiveness. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Team members will inevitably come into conflict with one another as a project develops. While every manager or leader would hope that everything would go over smoothly, there will be points of contention in every endeavor. Fortunately, steps can be taken to reduce conflict. As a manager or leader of a team, these eight steps are particularly helpful when it comes to group conflict management.
1. Have a plan.
- Create an agenda for meetings. Having a planned set of topics will help to keep the team from getting off-topic. In addition, placing less-controversial topics at the beginning of the meeting can help get the group off on the right foot and help build synergy before getting to the harder topics. Putting the topics of the day on a pre-disseminated agenda will allow the team to come to the meeting with their thoughts in order, helping to prevent a conversation descending into personal attacks as members will have a well-informed opinion on the topics (Dimension 30).
2. Know your philosophy and support it.
- By stating the team's philosophy, or desired goal, the leader can ensure that the discussion stays on course and that the group is working toward the same end. If each team member believes there is a different goal or is trying to take the project somewhere the leader doesn't want it to go, nothing will be accomplished. A strong leader will keep the team focused on the goal (Dimension 31).
3. Groom the environment for productivity.
- Set up the meeting room in a way that promotes teamwork and compromise. If the team is divided into sides on a particular issue, consider forcing them to mix by creating a seating chart that prevents those on the same side from sitting next to each other. Dividing united fronts can lead to compromise. Use round tables rather than rectangular ones to reduce the chance of the person at the head of the table being seen as an authority. This promotes equality (Dimension 32).
4. Behave as a leader should.
- An effective leader will be open and cooperative without allowing the team to walk all over him. Keep a firm hand and direct the team toward their goals, but allow them to disagree and come to compromises on their own. Being too authoritarian limits creativity and discourages team members from innovating (Bushardt 24).
5. Limit personalized statements.
- Watch the language of the meeting. Disallow statements that can lead to personal attacks like "your idea" and "you don't understand." These statements breed division. Saying things like "your department" can separate the team into groups before the meeting even starts. These personalized statements may be taken as personal attacks rather than constructive criticism because of their personal specificity (Dimension 32).
6. Steer the team away from harmful conflict and towards constructive conflict.
-The behavioral dynamics of the meeting must be monitored closely. Encourage the conflict of ideas. Help the team come to compromises as they work through their differences while steering the team away from unproductive conflicts like personal attacks and petty arguments (Longitudinal 13).
7. Support the ideal of the team.
- Breed teamwork, making the group feel less like a gathering of individuals and more like a unit. As the team begins to feel more like an "us" and less like an atomized gathering, they will be more likely to work out their conflicts without the need for intervention. This can be done by imposing team-wide reward goals and limiting individual punishments and rewards (Dimension 32).
8. Be proactive.
- Above all, a manager must not be passive. Sitting on the sidelines lessens the control the leader has on the team and can lead to harmful conflict as emotions are not kept in check. A proactive leader can cut off conflict before it starts by paying attention and implementing the above strategies (Dimension 33).
Bibliography:
1. "Conflict: An Important Dimension in Successful Management Teams."Conflict: An Important Dimension in Successful Management Teams. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
2. Bushardt, S. C., D. W. Glascoff, and D. Harold Doty. "Organizational Culture, Formal Reward Structure, and Effective Strategy Implementation: A Conceptual Model." Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict 15.2 (2011): 57-70. SCOPUS. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
3. "A Longitudinal Study of Team Conflict, Conflict Management, Cohesion, and Team Effectiveness." A Longitudinal Study of Team Conflict, Conflict Management, Cohesion, and Team Effectiveness. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.